Attorney General Todd Blanche on Monday issued a final rule establishing a new administrative process allowing certain individuals barred from possessing firearms under federal law to apply for restoration of their gun rights.
The rule requires applicants to establish the circumstances of their underlying prohibition and demonstrate they are not likely to pose a danger to public safety. Officials said applicants' criminal records, reputation, and subsequent conduct will also factor into review decisions.
What the Left Is Saying
Gun safety advocates have raised concerns about expanding firearms access, arguing that federal background check gaps and enforcement challenges already allow dangerous individuals to obtain weapons legally. Critics of the administration note that violent crime involving firearms remains elevated in many urban areas, and they question whether case-by-case reviews can adequately screen out individuals who may reoffend.
Some Democratic lawmakers have called for stricter federal standards rather than expanded pathways to gun ownership, pointing to mass shooting statistics and domestic violence connections to firearm homicides. They argue that any expansion of gun rights should be paired with enhanced enforcement of existing restrictions and funding for mental health interventions.
Progressive groups monitoring the rule's implementation say they will scrutinize whether the application process creates sufficient safeguards against abuse and whether appeals mechanisms provide adequate oversight of favorable decisions.
What the Right Is Saying
"The Second Amendment is not a second-class right, and the federal government should not permanently deprive Americans of a constitutional right without regard to whether they pose a danger to public safety," Attorney General Blanche said in a statement announcing the rule. "This rule establishes a rigorous, commonsense process that protects the public while giving deserving Americans a real path to restoration."
Gun rights advocates have welcomed the policy as a long-overdue correction to what they characterize as overcriminalization of minor infractions that triggered lifetime firearms prohibitions. They argue that many individuals blocked from gun ownership under current law pose no genuine threat and deserve an opportunity for rehabilitation.
Republican lawmakers noted this represents another expansion of Second Amendment protections during the Trump administration. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., called recent court victories on firearm regulations "the greatest Second Amendment legal win in American history."
"Our court victory against NFA registration is the greatest Second Amendment legal win in American history," Clyde wrote on social media.
What the Numbers Show
The National Firearms Act of 1934 originally established a $200 tax on silencers, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns and other firearms, along with mandatory federal registration requirements. Republicans reduced that tax to zero in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), prompting gun rights groups to successfully argue before courts that the associated registration requirement was unconstitutional.
The Justice Department has specified that violent felons, registered sex offenders, illegal aliens, and individuals deemed to present ongoing danger will remain "presumptively ineligible" for relief under the new rule. Any restoration of federal firearms rights removes only applicable federal disabilities and does not override independent restrictions imposed by state law.
The rule applies specifically to federal firearm prohibitions and does not affect state-level restrictions on gun ownership, meaning individuals seeking restoration must still comply with varying state regulations.
The Bottom Line
The Justice Department's new administrative pathway represents a significant policy shift in how the federal government handles firearms disabilities. Officials emphasize that the process includes safeguards designed to exclude dangerous individuals while providing relief for those whose prohibitions resulted from circumstances unrelated to violence or threats to public safety.
Implementation of the rule will require establishing application procedures, review criteria, and appeals processes within the Justice Department. Gun rights organizations are expected to assist eligible applicants in navigating the new system.
Civil liberties groups on both sides of the gun debate say they will monitor implementation closely. Gun safety advocates worry about potential loopholes in the screening process, while Second Amendment supporters hope the rule marks a broader reevaluation of federal restrictions on firearm ownership.